Catt Sadler Leaves E! Due to Pay Disparity With Her Cohost Jason Kennedy

"That was really hard to swallow."

UPDATE 1/10/18 9:00 AM EST: Following Catt Sadler's departure from E!, an exec for the network has contested her claims her claims of a large pay disparity between her and Jason Kennedy.

Varietyreports Frances Berwick, president of NBCU Cable Entertainment’s lifestyle networks (which include E!), addressed the issue at the Television Critics Association press tour.

“Jason Kennedy and Catt Sadler had different roles, and therefore different salaries,” Frances said. “Catt was focused on daytime; Jason Kennedy is on prime evening news, plus red carpet. Our employees’ salaries are based on their roles and their expertise, regardless of gender. So we wish Catt well, but I hope that sets the record straight on that.”

If you tune into E! for some celebrity gossip over the next few days, you might notice that Catt Sadler, one of the network's most popular and busiest hosts, won't be gracing the small screen. And it's for a very unfortunate reason.

As reported by People, Catt has decided to leave E!, citing a large pay disparity between her and her current E! News cohost, Jason Kennedy — specifically, Jason was earning double the amount as she was for the same job. “Up until this point, I mean it really has been a dream job. Literally a dream job. I’m from Indiana, born and raised, and I had my sights set on E! and I’ve seen the world. I’ve had the best experiences," Catt said in a statement. "I’ve gotten incredibly close with all of my coworkers. It’s like a family here and it’s been beautiful for the majority of my run. I pinch myself every day the job that I get to do. I have so much fun. It has almost been surreal. But then, this year happened.”

Specifically, 2017 brought forth a two-hour live daily show for Catt, Daily Pop, as well as her regular gig as cohost of the megapopular E! News. When it was time to negotiate a new contract going into the new year, it was then she realized that “my male equivalent at the network who I started with the same year and have come up with doing essentially similar jobs, if not the same job, wasn’t just making a little bit more than me but was making double my salary and has been for several years.” When negotiations proved not to be fruitful for a pay increase to make her salary equivalent to Jason's, Catt then decided to leave.

“That was really hard to swallow, but you know information is supposed to be power and when my team began negotiations knowing what we knew, that was the barometer in which I expected to be paid, based on the law and based on what I know to be fair,” Catt explained. “And what I believe in my heart of hearts is reasonable.... I’m a single mom of two kids. I’ve given my all to this network. I’ve sacrificed time away from my family and I have dedicated my entire career to this network. And when you learn something like that, it makes you feel very small and underappreciated and undervalued.”

An E! spokesperson told People in a statement "E! compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles, regardless of gender. We appreciate Catt Sadler’s many contributions at E! News and wish her all the best following her decision to leave the network."

What does the future hold for Catt? She's not sure, but promises her fans will see her soon in some capacity — perhaps on a new network, even.

Teen Vogue has reached out to E! News for a comment and will update this story when we hear back.